


What's Yours Is Mine

by bitsori



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Friendship, Kittens are involved so IDK what more do you want, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 10:03:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15883821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitsori/pseuds/bitsori
Summary: Minho and Jisung bond over a litter of cats; AU.





	What's Yours Is Mine

**Author's Note:**

> the original prompt was: "I aggressively protect this box of kittens during the day and it turns out when I’m not here you’re here to protect them."
> 
> also, i can't think of any other title, lmao.

 

“Who are you?”

“Who are _you_?” Minho shoots the question right back, even though he looks a bit apprehensive. He stares at the stranger with curiosity, but the look he gets is more a glare than anything, piercing through and making him feel self conscious. And so, it’s Minho who first looks away, his eyes instead settling on the opened tuna can that three kittens were eating from.

“Oh,” Minho adds as realisation dawns on him - this guy is here to do the same thing he is. He allows himself to look up again, and perhaps the stranger has reached a similar conclusion about him because his gaze is softer.

“I’m Jisung.” He’s the first one to introduce himself, which Minho is fine with since he’s not really very good with strangers, usually.

“I’m Minho,” he returns, walking over and closing the distance so he can kneel right by the kittens. He can feel Jisung’s eyes watching him as he takes out a plastic bowl that he fills with cat kibble.

“Do you do that a lot?”

“Eh?” When he turns to look at Jisung again, there’s an easy smile on Minho’s face - a natural one that the cats always give him whenever he drops by to take care of them. “You mean feed them?” By ‘them’ it’s obvious that he means the three kittens living by the Han River that Minho had developed a certain attachment to over the span of a month. The first time he’d come across them they were little babies, obviously abandoned. If the share house he was living in wasn’t so strict about pets he probably would have taken them in properly.

Jisung nods, and this time Minho studies him more closely. He’s smaller than Minho, but he doesn’t look that much younger. Now that he’s stopped glaring, he looks friendlier - but more curious than anything.

“When I can,” Minho explains. He’s a little embarrassed to admit that that means every day before class, or after - right before he has to go to work. This day has been so hectic though, and between finals being right around the corner, and the pouring weather earlier that evening, he hasn’t had the time to drop by until after his work shift was over.  “Wait—” A thought suddenly enters his head. “Do _you_? Come here and do this a lot?” Laughter trickles out of his throat in amusement - he’d been thinking he was the big hero to these kittens but it just might be that he wasn’t the sole good Samaritan in the scenario.

This time, though, Jisung shakes his head. “I passed by earlier, and it was drizzling and I was in a hurry, but they were huddled under the bench looking like wet—” And here he pauses to laugh, loud and almost obnoxious if it wasn’t so contagious, “—rats. I kind of felt bad so once it stopped raining I checked on them again, and then I got them a can of tuna from the convenience store.” He points towards the direction of the nearby Ministop, which Minho knows is a good few minutes away so it’s immediately endearing to him that Jisung took the time to do this for the cats.

“Do you want to know their names?” He’s decided that Jisung is a good guy, and that he’s willing to share this litter with him. Even though technically Minho doesn’t have official ownership he’s given them names - probably not the smartest move to get attached but it’s already too late to think about it that way.

Jisung’s eyes are shiny with excitement (which endears him even more to Minho, of course), and he makes room on the bench for Minho to sit beside him. Minho picks up one of the cats - the black one that was already done eating and was just nuzzling against Minho’s ankles. “This one is Gu,” he explains as he cradles the tiny one in his arms. “That one- the white one with gray spots - that’s Chin. And the tri-colored runt is Deullie.” He pauses and checks on Jisung’s reaction, wanting to see if he gets it. And then he laughs as Gu purrs and licks the palm of his hand, right before he continues to talk. “It’s because they’re my _chingudeul_. My little kitty friends.”

The other boy laughs along, out of seemingly genuine amusement and Minho beams with pride.

  
  
  
  


It’s not until a week later that they come by each other again. This time, it’s Jisung who happens upon Minho just as he’s packing up the cat kibble.

“Hyung!” Minho doesn’t remember agreeing to drop formalities with Jisung - they didn’t even exchange contact details or agree to another meeting like this - but he’s so happy to see Jisung, all excited as he practically bounces over to Minho and the cats that he decides he doesn’t mind the casual greeting. In fact, he kinda likes it, he thinks. Jisung’s pretty easy to be around.

It’s a nice sunny afternoon for once, and with Minho’s exams done he has some time so they end up spending hours playing with the kittens. At the end of the day he asks Jisung if he’s willing to take them in - it would be nice to know they will always be cared for after all.

Jisung’s face completely falls and Minho almost regrets even asking.

“My Dad’s allergic to cats,” he explains, looking very apologetic and disappointed. “I wish I could.”

Minho sighs, but he nods, understanding. It’s not like he can do much better  by the cats. Their cats, he thinks, because now he’s included Jisung in the general ownership of the felines.

“It’s okay,” he says reassuringly, as he transfers one of the kittens - Deullie, who has taken quite a liking to Jisung, if the way he keeps trying to get out of Minho’s hold while pawing at the general direction of the other male is any indication - onto Jisung’s lap. “We’ll take care of them like this. Cats like to be out and about anyway.”

  
  
  
  


It becomes habitual, especially as soon as the new semester starts at school, that they meet every evening to check on the cats. Sometimes Minho would be running late for work, but he always makes time anyway. Weeks pass, then months, and the next thing he knows their adopted critters have gotten big enough to transition from kittens to cats, and dinners with Jisung at the nearby ministop have become part of his daily routine.

“Too much MSG stunts growth,” Jisung randomly declares over a bowl of ramyeon.

“I don’t think you have to worry about that anymore,” Minho replies, pointedly, his lips curled up into a teasing, mischievous smile.

“Yah, hyung!” Jisung places his chopsticks down and turns in his seat to face Minho who just laughs and gives him a kick under the table in return.

“Hurry up eating,” Minho tells him, leaning in close just because he can. “But if you’re really worried about your growth—” he pauses and laughs, because even though Jisung isn’t exactly the tallest guy around, his presence has somehow become such a big one in Minho’s life, “—then maybe next time let’s go eat somewhere nicer.”

“Sounds like you’re asking me on a date, hyung,” Jisung throws back casually, a big grin stretching out his lips, and Minho knows he means nothing by it - Jisung’s joking around like he always does, but for a second something in him turns, and he’s unable to answer immediately.

“Ha!” He manages to croak out a couple of seconds later, even though he means to sound it out haughtily. “Only if you’re paying,” he adds, this time trying to sound all casual about it too. Jisung just laughs, and Minho goes on to talk about dessert instead.

  
  
  
  


One night, it rains hard. The first typhoon of the season, according to the news and Minho gets so worried about Chin, Gu, and Deullie that he rushes out to check on them, despite warnings from his landlord. He doesn’t really have a concrete plan either, but he figures if worse comes to worst, he’d sneak them into his room for at least one night.

The rain has at least come to a temporary (he assumes) halt by the time his bus rolls into the right stop. He pulls his hood on and rushes out, his feet splashing along small puddles on the wet sidewalk as he runs. When he gets there, to the bench where the cats are usually waiting for him and Jisung, it’s the other male that he spots first.

Jisung is already there, decked in a raincoat and crouched on the ground, looking like he’s reaching under the concrete bench for something.

“Jisung-ah?” Minho calls out, his feet picking up their pace until he’s right beside the other.

“Hyung,” Jisung looks up, his voice cracking. He sounds so distraught in a way that Minho’s never heard him him sound before. “Hyung, Deullie…”

In his arms is the tiniest cat among the three siblings, wet and shivering. Chin and Gu are hiding under the bench, also looking quite drenched and Minho thinks to himself that he should have thought of doing something about this earlier.

“Come on,” he says, scooping up the other two cats into his arms. Minho’s usually quite indecisive - one of the traits that they’ve learned they both share - but for once he springs into action. “I’m taking you all home,” he declares.

“I thought you can’t..?” Jisung looks at him questioningly, but Minho shakes his head, cutting him off.

“One night won’t hurt anyone,” he says with a sigh, already nudging Jisung’s side to make sure that the younger male follows his lead. “You’ll have to help me sneak them in, though.”

It’s like the three cats _know_ that they’re contraband because as Minho leads Jisung into the share house, they manage to stay quiet inside the box where they’re brought in. For once, Jisung is quiet as well as he helps turn the box into a makeshift bed once they reach Minho’s room.

  
  
  
  


Minho wakes up the next morning and he finds that Jisung’s already up and staring inside the cat box.

“Jisung-ah, wanna go get breakfast?” He asks groggily as he slowly gets up and slides off his bed so he can sit on the floor next to the other boy.

“Hyung,” Jisung whispers, and the next thing Minho knows is that Jisung’s hand is sliding into his. Confused, he uses his free hand to rub his eyes more open and then he looks into the box as well. Chin looks just fine, and is staring up at them, while Gu makes a soft purring sound once she notices Minho.

And then his eyes land on the third cat, and he realises why Jisung is very obviously holding back from sniffling too loudly.

“Hyung,” Jisung repeats while squeezing hard on Minho’s hand, but at that point Minho can already feel his cheeks dampen while all sorts of words get stuck in his throat.

  
  
  
  


They bury Deullie in the vacant lot across the convenience store where Minho works at. There are signs about a new building being erected in the space soon, but for now that’s where they move the other two. “At least you can check on them easier,” Jisung assures Minho.

They hold a small eulogy, just the two of them with their adopted cats. When Minho comes up with the idea, he initially thinks it’s a silly one - but he doesn’t even get around to voicing it out because Jisung comes spits the idea out, speaking in run on sentences as he tends to do, and refusing to take no for an answer.

“Here lies Deullie,” Minho begins. His voice starts to crack, and once again he feels Jisung’s fingers wrapping around his. It actually makes it easier for him to continue, “He was tiny, but he liked catnip a lot.”

And somehow, both of them crack up at that.

“Catnip--” Jisung wheezes. “ _A lot_.”

It isn’t even really funny, but they’re both doubling over.

“He also liked me a lot,” Jisung adds once he’s calmed down and caught his breath again.

“He also liked Jisung a lot,” Minho agrees, putting on a solemn tone even though he finds it easier to smile now.

  
  
  
  
  


“I’m moving into my own apartment,” Minho announces to Jisung. It’s over an hour away of commute but…”

But winter is coming, and construction at the vacant lot had started, so while Minho didn’t have getting a solo apartment in his plans until after graduation, he’d decided to push it forward.

“I only have a term left anyway,” he tells Jisung. “So surprise?”

Jisung looks surprised at first, and then excited. One of the things Minho really enjoys about Jisung is how he manages to go showcase a plethora of emotions on his face even within a very short span of time. It’s cute, he thinks, and really charming.

“Hyung!” Jisung looks so happy, and he must be because he suddenly throws his arms around Minho. “The cats can come?!”

“It’s a small rooftop apartment, but I checked with the owner and they said it’s okay,” Minho nods, a big smile decorating his features. “You can come too, of course,” he adds.

“Any time?” Jisung prods. “To visit?”

_And live too, if you want,_ Minho thinks and he has to bite his tongue so he can just once again nod and smile instead. That’s an invitation for next time, maybe.

  
  


_fin._


End file.
